Cillian Murphy never believed he would get the role of Batman because he doesn’t consider himself “Bruce Wayne material.”
The Peaky Blinders star auditioned for the roles of the Caped Crusader and his billionaire alter ego in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, which began with 2005’s Batman Begins. The role ultimately went to Christian Bale, while Murphy was cast as the evil, corrupt psychologist Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow from the first film.
When he spoke to the Hollywood Reporter about his screen tests for “Batman,” Murphy stressed that he never saw himself as a real contender for the role of the superhero.
“Oh no, I don’t think so, man. I don’t think I was close to getting that role,” he explained. “The only actor I thought was right for that role at the time was Christian Bale, and he absolutely rocked it. So for me it was just an experience, and then it turned into something else. It turned into this character, Scarecrow, and it turned into a working relationship with Chris. So I look back on that time very, very fondly, but I never, ever considered myself Bruce Wayne material.”
Murphy reprised the role of the Scarecrow in the trilogy’s sequels – “The Dark Knight” and “The Dark Knight Rises” – and also starred in Nolan’s films “Inception” and “Dunkirk.”
His Batman test shoot was released on a Blu-ray release of the entire trilogy, and he’s rewatched it thanks to his kids.
“I think my kids showed it to me online or something… I don’t really remember, but it’s not something I really want to see more than once,” he laughed.
